News & Events

Events/Hui

Hui a Iwi and our Annual General Meeting.

Click here to view the research documents from the Hura Hītori presentation

Hui a Rohe – FAQs

The Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust received several recurring questions during our recent Hui a Rohe on what the Waitangi Tribunal report means for Whakatōhea.

The Trust has developed a Frequently Asked Questions document containing our response to these questions. This can be viewed by clicking the image below.

The Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust meet every Monday evening from 5pm. Nau mai haere mai, it is an open forum for all whānau to attend. Listen, learn and kōrero about the processes to move forward in the raupatu of Whakatōhea.

The Trust’s mandate was recognised on 16 Dec 2016 and the AIP signed in August 2017. A contributing factor to the timing was the desire to begin formal negotiations before the uncertainty of the general Election. The Tribunal says that “These are not in themselves unreasonable or illegitimate outcomes” but its concern is to ensure that the foundation for the future settlement is strong.

Use of the WMTB register?

The Tribunal says “…we think that it was reasonable for the Crown to rely on the WMTB register. It is a substantial and long standing database and no comparable alternative register yet exists.”

Did the Crown inform itself of levels of support and opposition?

“In broad terms, we think the Crown did undertake a number of steps over several years to inform itself of levels of support for the competing attempts to unify Whakatōhea under a single mandate.”

Was there sufficient support to recognise the mandate?

The Tribunal says this question remains open.

Is it appropriate for Te Upokorehe to be included in the Mandate?

“We are sceptical of the assertion that Te Upokorehe are not a hapū of Whakatōhea.”

The Tribunal’s preliminary view is that it’s appropriate for Te Upokorehe to be included in a comprehensive settlement of Whakatōhea claims.

Is it appropriate for Te Whānau Mokomoko to be included in the Mandate?

“The claim has been included in the mandate in the face of clear and consistent opposition from Te Whānau Mokomoko… we doubt the Crown has done sufficient to honour the commitment… to introduce a statutory pardon.”

“We also regard as significant the fact that Tu Ake and WPSCT had made it clear that they support the efforts of Te Whānau ā Mokomoko to have a direct discussion with the Crown over their particular claim.”

Remedies and possible ways to address these matters

“We would take some persuading to conclude that a halt to negotiations and a re-run of a mandate process is the right way to respond to the issues we have identified. Whakatōhea now have before them an AIP which promises substantial redress including $100 million dollars, the return of 6600 hectares of land and 5000 hectares of marine space.

“How to proceed now is a matter of such significance to all Whakatōhea that we think all of Whakatōhea should be given an opportunity to express their voice on two key questions.”

The suggested questions are:
1. Do you support the WPSCT continuing to negotiate and reach a settlement with the Crown on current timeframes (12-18months)?
2. Do you support a Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into the historical claims of Te Whakatōhea? And if so, should settlement negotiations continue whilst any Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry takes place?

The panel’s thinking is that an independent postal vote would be held where all adult registered members would vote on the above questions.

The Tribunal will consider these matters and will hear further submissions on 20 and 21 November. We will let you know the venue as soon as it is confirmed.

In the meantime, we hope to see as many whānau as possible at our Hui a Rohe this week!

Waiata Book

A second Crown offer was received and presented to Whakatōhea iwi at Waiaua Marae on 5 August 2017

A second offer from the Crown was received and presented to Whakatohea at Waiaua Marae on 5 August 2017. The process from here is for the Whakatohea Pre Settlement Trust to sign the Agreement in Principle (AIP) with the Crown. The AIP is an agreement between Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust that agrees in principle to the nature and scope of the deed of settlement and to work together in good faith to develop a deed of settlement based on the AIP. The AIP is non binding, without prejudice and eventuates in a Deed of Settlement that Whakatōhea iwi members get to ratify.

Negotiations Update 2 July 2017: Initial Crown Offer to Whakatōhea

An initial Crown Settlement Offer was received by the Whakatōhea negotiators on behalf of the Whakatōhea Presettlement Claims Trust in early June. Negotiations with the Crown have been focused on achieving our aspirations of mana tangata, mana whenua and mana moana. Negotiations have also focused on the Crown acknowledging the Whakatōhea experience of raupatu and Crown engagement and the construction of a settlement package that realises the Whakatōhea Transformation Framework.

Roadshows

The Whakatōhea Pre Settlement Claims Trust have been travelling around the country to communicate progress on our settlement negotiations. For whānau who have been unable to make it to the Roadshow Hui, you still have the opportunity to hear what has been going, as each roadshow was streamed live on Facebook